Women's Cross Country

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Coming on the heels of one of the most successful campaigns in Institute history, MIT placed 11th among all Division III schools in the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) annual Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup. This was the highest ranking for the Engineers in the 14-year history of the program and the first time they were the best performers in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC).

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.  MIT seniors Maria Monks and Jacqui Wentz were named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Womens Track and Field and Cross Country teams this morning, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Monks was a First Team honoree while Wentz was tabbed for the Second Team, as their selections now bring MITs total of Academic All-American on the year to eight.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.  Following a season full of notable athletic success, both the MIT mens cross country team, who captured its 12th consecutive conference title in the fall, and the womens squad, which finished a program-best fifth at the NCAA Division III Championship, were honored for their accomplishments in the classroom last week. The teams each received the All-Academic Award from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), given to teams with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.10 that compiled a team score at the NCAA Regional Championship. In addition to the team awards, seven individual student-athletes garnered accolades from the USTFCCCA, including five by the womens squad, matching the second highest total by any team in the nation.

CLEVELAND, Ohio  In its second straight appearance at the NCAA Division III Championship, the MIT womens cross country team improved to a fifth-place showing at Saturdays national meet, hosted by Baldwin-Wallace College. Maria Monks and Jacqui Wentz led the way for the Cardinal and Grey, as each earned All-America honors, the first such accolades for the program since 1998. Monks 13th-place finish marks the best individual effort at the NCAA Championship in school history.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.  MIT student-athletes have always been among the best and brightest competitors in collegiate athletics, dating back to the days of Henry Steinbrenner 27, who collected the Institutes first-ever National Championship in track and field during his senior year. Since then, MIT has sponsored 32 individual national champions, seen 638 student-athletes garner All-America honors and produced 156 Academic All-Americas, the all-time leader in Division III. Despite these accomplishments, no Institute team has ever won an NCAA National Championship. All of Techs previous 22 national titles have been awarded by the sports governing body, not the NCAA. The MIT womens cross country team will attempt to change that at the NCAA Division III National Championship this Saturday.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.  Following MITs first-ever Division III New England Regional Womens Cross Country Championship, senior Jacqui Wentz and coach Halston Taylor were honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday. Wentz was named the New England Womens Regional Athlete of the Year while Taylor was selected as Womens Regional Coach of the Year.

CUMBERLAND, Maine  The MIT womens cross country team came into Saturdays NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship hosted by Southern Maine ranked no. four in the nation and tops in the region. Thanks to an impressive performance, led by individual champion, Jacqui Wentz, and third-place finisher, Maria Monks, the Engineers verified those rankings and took home the Team Championship for the first time in program history. MIT and defending National Champion, Middlebury, finished with the same number of team points, 63, out of their top five runners but Brooke Johnson came through the chute just 2.1 seconds faster than Middleburys number six, giving Tech the tiebreaker and the New England Championship.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference recently announced the 2009 NEWMAC Fall Academic All-Conference Team. Thirty-five MIT athletes were recognized by the conference for their performance in the classroom.

BOSTON, Mass.  The nationally ranked no. three MIT womens cross country team placed six runners in the top seven, including Runner of the Year, Maria Monks, to win its third consecutive New England Womens and Mens Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship in convincing fashion on Saturday at Franklin Park. Seven Tech harriers were named to the NEWMAC All-Conference team.

BOSTON, Mass.  One week after a record performance at the All-New England Championship, the nationally-ranked no. 4 MIT womens cross country team returned to Franklin Park and picked up where it left off at the Saints Invitational hosted by Emmanuel College. The Engineers recorded a perfect team score of 15, as all five of the top scoring finishes belonged to the Cardinal and Grey.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.  Following a record-setting performance for MIT at the NEICAAA Championship, Jacqui Wentz was named the New England Womens and Mens Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Womens Cross Country Runner of the Week on Monday. Wentz helped the Engineers, currently ranked no. four in the country, to a fourth-place finish at the meet, best among all Division III squads.

BOSTON, Mass.  The MIT womens cross country team entered this weekend with its highest national ranking in program history, as it rose to no. four in all of Division III. Competing against the tops teams in New England from across all Divisions, the Engineers more than lived up to their poll position, finishing fourth as a team. Jacqui Wentz led the way for the Cardinal and Grey with a third-place finish, the best individual result in Institute history at the All-New England Meet.

KEENE, N.H.  Four freshman were among the top five finishers for the nationally-ranked no. five MIT womens cross country team, which finished third out of 12 teams at the Keene State Invitational on Saturday. Missy Showers was the top overall finisher for the Engineers in just the second race of her intercollegiate career.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.  For the second time in three weeks, Alina Gatowski was tabbed as the New England Womens and Mens Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Womens Cross Country Runner of the Week, following an impressive performance at the Codfish Bowl on Saturday. Gatowski earned similar accolades during the seasons opening week while teammate Jacqui Wentz was honored last Monday.

BOSTON, Mass.  The MIT womens cross country team, which came into todays race ranked ninth in the country, received a strong effort from a small group of runners to take third place at the Codfish Bowl at Franklin Park on Saturday. Alina Gatowski led the way for the Engineers, who sent just five runners to the meet, as the scored 129 points, tops among all Division III teams.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.  For the second consecutive week, an MIT harrier was named the Womens Cross Country Runner of the Week by the New England Womens and Mens Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), as Jacqui Wentz joined teammate Alina Gatowski as a recipient of the honor.

DARTMOUTH, Mass.  The nationally-ranked no. nine MIT womens cross country team put on a dominant display en route to a first-place finish at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational Saturday. Tech had four harriers among the top 11 finishers in a meet that featured many of the top squads in New England, including a number of New England Womens and Mens Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) schools.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.  Following a season opening victory for the nationally-ranked no. nine MIT womens cross country team in the Engineers Cup, junior Alina Gatowski was tabbed as the New England Womens and Mens Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Womens Cross Country Runner of the Week.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.  Alina Gatowski raced to an 18 second win as the nationally-ranked no. nine MIT womens cross country team took home the annual Engineers Cup title over RPI and WPI. The Cardinal and Grey earned 22 team points to beat out second-place RPI by 18. WPI finished third with 69 points.